In an era of nonstop controversy and political polarization, it’s easy to get swept up in an argument.
We regularly see UNC students arguing with an angry Pit Preacher, attempting to lambast his outdated views. There are certainly times when such arguments are worthwhile – and even important – but we’ve seemingly digressed from these productive arguments. Our current hyper-partisan political climate is to blame.
Political discourse no longer centers the role of the government in the economy or in advancing the rights of historically marginalized groups. Rather, it has turned into baseless discussions about things like “wokeness” and whether or not the COVID-19 vaccine is secretly putting magnets in us. Far-right conservatives who take these stances have strayed from any sense of logic. There’s not a single ounce of truth in any of these extreme conservative rhetorics.
So, how can you argue with such illogical viewpoints? You can’t.
If somebody’s argument lacks any logic, then there’s genuinely no point in even trying to reason with them. They didn’t come to these conclusions with a rational mind, so a rational argument certainly won’t dissuade them.
And if there’s no progress to be made in arguing with these absurd beliefs, then why are we so intent on doing so anyways?
A few months ago, a far-right “influencer” gained traction through a series of misogynistic TikTok videos that were reposted – or duetted – by users with rebuttals of their own. Sure, what the original user was saying is bigoted. But by duetting these videos, all respondents did was give more air to the fire.
Had other users not duetted these videos, he may have never made an entire career out of the public outrage he has caused.
Countless people have gone viral on social media solely because they posted offensive content that outraged other users. And, of course, it’s easy to be outraged. Far right users can post prejudiced and often blatantly untrue things, but devoting time to try to convince them otherwise is a futile endeavor.
